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Low-Dose, 3D-Full-Body Imaging Now Available at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Portland

3D, full-body imaging is now available at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Portland (Oregon). It features the EOS Imaging System.

Easier on young patients, it provides full-body images whether the child is standing or in a sitting position. It also only exposes patients to low doses of radiation.

The system will be well-used at Portland Shriners Hospitals for Children. Some 10,000 and 12,000 radiological images are taken annually of its 6,000 active patients. In addition, some 40 percent of the X-rays taken are of children's spines in connection with the diagnosis of scoliosis and other spinal deformities.

Scoliosis patients need imaging every three to six months over several years. That adds up to some 20 scans over the course of treatment. With regular doses of radiation, it can lead to increased risk for later cases of cancer. The EOS system lets off some nine times less radiation than conventional radiography X-rays, and 20 times less than a CT scan, the company estimates.

It is also more accurate than many options. Without using the EOS systems, healthcare providers often are forced to put together smaller, 2D images.

"EOS represents a breakthrough in orthopedic imaging, offering not only the best quality image but also the most advanced low-dose X-ray technology for orthopedic imaging. Shriners Hospitals of Children-Portland is very excited to bring this technology to our patients in the Pacific Northwest. We are also proud to be one of only a handful of medical centers in the United States that can offer the latest and best imaging resources to our patients," Dr. Michael Aiona, chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Portland, said in a statement.

Also, given the unique needs of the young patients, the system can scan patients in a standing or sitting position and still use natural posture and joint orientation. It is important if patients are in wheelchairs or in use other devices.

Shriners Hospitals for Children - Portland – which is located on the campus of Oregon Health Sciences University – is affiliated with a network of 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care, regardless of the families' ability to pay. They treat a variety of orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal disorders and diseases, the hospitals’ website said.

To get an idea of the breadth of work the hospitals do, a team from Shriners Hospitals for Children-Canada has come up with research findings related to the identification of the genetic defect underlying a painful bone disease called metaphyseal dysplasia with maxillary hypoplasia and brachydactyly (MDMHB), HealthTechZone reported. This disease causes osteoporosis, severe tooth decay and spinal fractures.